


VERONA

by sensationalists



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Death, Fluff, M/M, Protective Newt, Sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-28
Updated: 2018-10-28
Packaged: 2019-08-08 21:14:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16436903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sensationalists/pseuds/sensationalists
Summary: Before Thomas entered the glade, WICKED had another problem. His name was Drew, and he was madly in love with Newt.





	1. THE END

**Author's Note:**

> JACOB ARTIST AS DREW  
> HARVEY NEWTON HAYDEN AS CHARLIE  
> CHOI SEUNG-HYUN AS SEJONG  
> GIJS BLOM AS BUCKY

NEWT'S FEET SHUFFLED CLOSER TO THE EDGE, his breath becoming more irregular the nearer he got. His hands shaking were a visible sign of his nervousness as he took a look around the glade. The wall was very high up, but he couldn't feel any wind yet goosebumps lined his arms as he prepared himself. 

HE TOOK A DEEP BREATH, trying to push any thought of reconsidering to the back of his mind as he mumbled out loud his reasons for doing it. "I couldn't save anyone. Everyone is dead because of me."

AS HARD HE TRIED TO STOP THEM, the memories of Drew came in fleeting moments. His final words to him before he collapsed into his arms and his breathing ceased. Newt sensed that Charlie blamed him, the way he avoided him, avoided everyone really. 

TRULY, Newt felt like the entire glade blamed him for the death of Drew, and he believed them. So, on top of this wall, Newt felt like he was doing everybody a favor. And, if like a couple of the Gladers believed, there was an afterlife – well, Newt would be with the love of his life again.

NEWT HAD TO BE QUICK, Sejong would be awake soon – he cursed the boy for being such an early riser – and would be doing his warm-ups in the center of the glade. So, with a look up to the sky, he pushed his toes over the edge, ready to jump.

SUDDENLY, a pain hit him in his heart, and his mind flashed images of all the people he cared about. Alby, Minho, Sejong, an unknown boy with short brown hair but one that lingered was of a boy with dark skin, a buzzcut that suited him so perfectly, with the most beautiful brown eyes Newt had ever seen. It felt like someone was trying to stop him from making this decision, but he shook the thoughts away.

WITH A FINAL GOODBYE, the blonde boy pushed himself over the edge, the air rushing past his cheeks as he closed his eyes, ready for the impact. He wasn't falling for long, his foot getting caught up in the vines that lined the maze wall. Wrapping so tightly around his ankle, it forced a yell to come out of his mouths, waking up many of the Glader's that were asleep.

He cursed as he shook his head, this only made him wish more than ever that Drew was still alive.

☼☼☼


	2. WELCOME TO THE GLADE

LOW MECHANICAL WHIRRING FILLED THE WHOLE ELEVATOR SHAFT, high-pitched yet booming in the ears of the boy who lay in the center of the box. Drew's eyes were sealed shut, the constant shaking of the box, making him scared to even look around at his surroundings. Shakily, the boy reached a hand out to feel the uncomfortable material that was sticking into his skin, but as he did so the cage jumped; causing him to be launched to the other side, squashed by some crates.

He yelled in pain, trying to pull back his pinned arm; his eyes snapping open. It was dark in the enclosed space, making it hard to identify what everything was, but as he looked up he could see that there was concrete closing in on him. His heart was beating incredibly fast, so fast that he thought it could break out of its ribcage but he huddled in tighter, waiting for the impact.

Something that struck him only moments before the impending crash, was that he couldn't remember anything. Not where he was, why he was there or even his identity. That hurt his brain more than any of the loud noises emanating from the shaking crate, but nothing hurt more than his pinned back arm, making him curse out loud again; and biting down on his lip so hard that he drew blood.

Drew took a last look up, the box only centimeters away from the ceiling and showing no signs of slowing down but almost instantly, it halted. Granted, it wasn't smooth, but it stopped just below the concrete, and Drew finally began breathing again; not even aware that it had stopped.

Slowly but surely, the two pieces of concrete withdrew from each other, revealing a bright sun that was beating down into the box. Drew was surprised to see that around thirty boys gathered around the box, all looking down at him with the same intrigued expression, his immediate reaction was to ask for help but his throat closed up and he was unable to.

"How comes he ain't speaking? This Greenie mute?" He heard a voice call out from the back, earning a quick 'shut up' from somewhere else.

Drew used his spare arm to point at the one that was trapped, trying to alert someone that could help him. "He's trying to tell us something." A boy shouted from above him, and he sighed with relief, continuing his pointing.

A blonde boy jumped down into the lift, trying to get a closer look at what Drew was trying to point at. The sun was hidden perfectly behind his head, allowing Drew to take him in completely; light blue eyes, that reflected what was in front of him, brightened up his tired appearance. He was very tall, Drew was certain that if he could be freed, then he would most definitely tower over him, and his arms seemed extremely muscular as he spotted that the crates that pinned Drew tightly against the wall. He was becoming increasingly dizzier with each movement of the box that was shaking from the extra weight and found himself losing consciousness.

"Get the med-jacks. His arm is stuck." He shouted to the rest of the boys, some of which ran off to go get them as he began picking the crates up and relieving the pressure off of his arm. Drew felt like crying, but he already felt stupid enough. He didn't know his name, and he had managed to get pinned by crates that the boy in front of him was lifting with ease.

"My name's Newt." Drew realized that the boy had an accent, he couldn't pick up what it was but he nodded with a grateful smile as Newt looked around, wondering where Jeff, Charlie, and Clint were. "We'll soon have you out of here, mate."

But Drew didn't hear Newt say that instead, he had already collapsed against the cold metal, causing even more of a rush from the Glader's to get him into the medical room.

 

☼☼☼

 

"I bandaged his arm, Clint. Is there anything else I need to do?" Charlie wandered around the room that Drew was asleep in, trying to be as quiet as possible. Newt and Alby were waiting in the room as well, making Charlie even more nervous; keen to show the leader's that he was doing his part.

"No, you did good Charlie." Clint shot him a smile, "go grab some food."

Newt watched as the boy scampered away from them, glad not to be called greenie but making sure to shut the door behind him as he found his way to the kitchens and Frypan.

"Anything serious?" Newt asked, leaning his head on the wall and stretching out his arms.

Clint shook his head, "I guess it'll be sore for a few days. Lucky it wasn't pinned for much longer, the crates were cutting the blood circulation and he could have lost his whole arm."

Alby nodded, "well I'm going to go sort out the supplies, Newt – you mind waiting here until he wakes up?"

Newt shook his head in response, knowing that he could catch up on some sleep before the boy woke up, something that was much needed after a restless night in which the grievers were the loudest they'd ever been.

 

☼☼☼

 

Newt watched as the boy's eyes finally opened, squinting at the tiny bit of sunlight that was coming through the cracks in the ceiling. He watched as the boy began to panic, and Newt thought it would be best to calm him down; just in case he would start to scream down the whole building.

"Hey, Greenie." Newt had an almost infectious smile, as it automatically caused the boy to smile back at him; although his eyes were still wide. "I think you passed out before you heard me, but my name's Newt."

He nodded at him, wishing he was able to remember his own and in a sudden fleeting moment a name flashed across his brain, forcing him to mumble it aloud, "Drew."

"Drew? Nice to meet you. Now your left arm is probably aching, but I'm not best to answer those questions, I'll leave that to the Med-jacks." Newt crouched next to him, grabbing the water on the side table that was just out of his reach.

"W-where am I?" He tentatively asked, sipping on the water that soothed his scratched-up throat – as if he had been screaming for hours on end.

"Well, what's the easiest way to put this? I guess," Newt paused, with a wide grin on his face, "– welcome to the glade."


	3. FIRST IMPRESSIONS

ALBY WOKE DREW UP EARLY, but not early enough to see the maze doors open; this was because he had to deal with Charlie's attempt to be the center of attention so early in the morning. Alby was surprised that Drew didn't protest at being woken up, simply placing his shoes on with a nod and following him out the door without a sound, he noted it was odd that the young boy didn't have any questions but decided to leave it.

Drew took in deep breaths when he made it outdoors, and he could finally take his surroundings in. Directly to his left were the gardens, with some gladers already busy at work, one boy even lifted his head to wave at them before continuing his monotonous movements as he started weeding again - Drew was too reluctant to wave back so turned to face Alby who was shouting at some boys who were carrying a big, black bag across the expanse of land.

At the opposite end of the glade, Drew spotted a medium-sized building and although it seemed newer than the one he stayed in last night, it had a run-down, abandoned look to it. He was unsure if the huge stink was coming from that direction, the smell of things rotting and not even last night's smell of delicious food that lingered could remove it. 

Just as he turned his head to look towards the other corner, Alby's fingers started to click in front of his eyes and he quickly snapped his head to him. 

"Still with me?" Alby asked with his eyebrows raised, lowering his arm to his side again. Drew noticed that he had a cut on his arm, obviously new from its pink color that contrasted so heavily with the boy's skin. Alby had a flawless face, Drew thought, unblemished skin and chocolate-colored eyes that shone when the sun's reflection hit them.

Drew nodded and with a heavy sigh, Alby began the tour. Drew noted that Alby sounded bored, inferring that he must be the one to give 'greenies', (Newt had explained the term to him), the tour every single time they arrived from the box. As they walked around the whole glade, Drew's mind whizzed with endless questions, but the impending feeling of sounding stupid prevented him from asking, as he struggled to keep up with Alby's fast pace.

Alby noticed the wide smile on Drew's face as the made their way round to the animal pen, instantly reaching an arm out to pet the sheep. Usually, the animals were frightened of new people, but they were soon forming a circle round him in order to be pet. 

"Ah, the animal whisperer," Bucky said to Alby as he wandered over to them, using his break from his job to be social. Drew turned round to see who spoke and instantly realized that it was the boy who had waved at him before the tour commenced and Drew gave him a small smile before he continued petting the piglet that was sitting by him.

"Drew, this is Bucky." Alby tried to catch the boy's attention but to no avail, the boy was lost in his own world.

Alby and Bucky talked amongst themselves for a couple of minutes, before Zart called him back to his job and Drew finally got up, listening to Alby conclude the tour. Their final stop was in front of the doors, although Drew couldn't see that right now; only a long corridor with walls that had ivy's climbing up them.

"Now Drew, you have to listen to me carefully," Alby looked at him, deep in his eyes, "We have rules here, they are the reason everything runs so smoothly around here. They're simple. One, everyone does their part. You'll begin trying out the different jobs tomorrow, and when the week concludes; you'll know what job is yours. Two, never hurt another glader. We have to trust each other, or living in harmony won't be possible. And the most important rule, never go out there." He outstretched an arm, with his finger pointing towards the maze, "not unless you're a runner."

Drew nodded along, trying to open his mouth and ask his burning questions but they just wouldn't form in his mouth. A groan of frustration fell out instead, although Alby took it as an agreement that he would follow the rules and immediately began walking off back to the big building they had emerged from that morning. 

Discontented with his unwillingness to ask questions, Drew sat down outside the walls, staring at the corridor. There was nothing remarkable about it, except that it was intriguing to him, the structure seemed impossible to build like it was crafted by machines yet everything else in the glade showed the exact opposite. The sand started immediately after the door, opposite to the lush grass that filled the ground below him, further signs that this existed before the land he was sitting on right now.

"You alright there, mate?" Newt called out to him, walking towards the boy who looked quite odd just staring at the walls.

"Mhm." Drew nodded, not shifting his position, but flinching when the British boy sat next to him, leaning his back on a crate of supplies.

"So how was the tour?"

"It was okay, Alby doesn't seem to enjoy doing it much." Drew shrugged, taking a small peek at the other boy, but he noticed that he was staring directly at him, he turned away slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah," he chuckled, "poor shank has to do it every time someone comes in the box."

"Shank?"

Newt grinned widely, "so much to learn."

Drew furrowed his eyebrows, immediately confused at his response and he zoned out from Newt talking – something about the creator's not sending up enough new clothes but he was instead looking at the animal pen and was reminded of the boy that seemed friendly.

"I'm going to go." Now Newt's eyebrows furrowed at Drew's odd way of leaving the conversation, 'blunt' he noted but that only seemed to make Newt want to talk to him more. 

Drew's feet waded through the long grass, light-footed and careful not to trip over his feet he began searching for the kind boy, running his eyes over the farm section. When he finally spotted him, hidden behind a tree, he realized that he was speaking to Charlie the boy who had mended his cut yesterday. Turning around sharply, not wanting to interrupt their conversation, was too late to do as Charlie was already calling him over and with many boys beginning to stare in his direction; he took a deep breath in and continued the walk over to the boys. Newt watched him until he arrived at his destination, noticeably joyful when he thought he was going to turn back and talk to him again but when he turned around again, Newt stalked off to find Alby or someone that would talk to him.

"Hey, Drew." Charlie smiled at him as he made his way inside the enclosure, stopping his previous conversation with Bucky.

"I met you earlier, but I don't think you caught my name. I'm Bucky." He extended his arm out for him to shake it, and saw the reluctant face of Drew who shakily took it and weakly shook his arm.

"I caught your name." Drew nodded, sitting down on the hand-crafted stool beside the section of the earth where the potatoes were growing.

Bucky made Drew feel comfortable, he wasn't necessarily involved in the conversation between him and Charlie, but he felt like he could interject when he wanted to. Instead, Drew was looking at their features, noting down everything about them, Charlie found the stare creepy at first, but upon realizing the boy was harmless, he didn't mind.

"How is your first proper day, greenie?" Bucky began one of the many short chats between the three of them, interspersed in the long talk that the other two boys were happening.

"It's decent, I didn't like the bloodhouse though." 

"Only weird shanks work in there." Bucky and Charlie chuckled and continued their previous conversation.

They were talking for a while, and through their strong use of slang, Drew managed to decipher the majority of what they were saying. Alby spotted the trio talking, a part of him didn't want to shout at Bucky to get back to work, because the boy always worked hard and earned his breaks, but the lack of work from the other track-hoes meant that more work needed to be done. 

"Bucky, get back to work," Alby shouted from a near distance, Bucky nodded with a smile, which Alby always shook his head at. He had never seen the boy upset, even when he first came up from the box, a long time ago, he was smiling – no signs of panic even on his face. But a chuckle even cracked from Alby's lips as he saw Charlie run off towards the homestead, the boy was terrified of him and Newt, mainly because they never put up with his diva-like moments and ignored his center-of-attention ones as well. Although his heart did sink a little when he saw Drew react like a deer in headlights as he scarpered off in no particular direction.

 

☼☼☼

 

Drew, not on purpose, ambled into the kitchen's seating area, taking a place on one of the smaller benches, he chose it because it was far away from a bin that had a serious smell coming from it; unusual that there were no flies swarming around it.

"Ah greenie!" He heard a loud voice call out to him, and whipped his head round to see a plump, dark-skinned boy walking towards him; he too had a wide green on his face, "you hungry?"

Drew's stomach hadn't been rumbling, but he hadn't eaten since yesterday and he wondered if soon he might become faint due to a low blood sugar, "yes please."

"Come with me. I'll cook you a bacon sandwich, everyone loves them." Frypan led him into his kitchen, a small building that was made entirely of wood (a dangerous fire hazard, Drew thought) and had a couple of small counters, with a firepit that he presumed acted as an oven.

Waiting patiently while Frypan roasted the bacon, he listened intently to the boy's stories, all of them to do with food. His passion for his skill made Drew smile widely, enjoying his little tricks and pointing out that even if someone else could cook, there's no way they could replace him.

"Thank you." Drew took the sandwich with a gracious smile and sat back down on the bench he was sitting on beforehand, placing the plate down. There was something off-putting about the meal, not its smell or its look, but something just seemed completely unappetizing about it. He reached out an arm, and picked it up, taking a small bite off the edge. It was then he realized that this bacon used to be an animal, and the piglet he had been petting earlier, would soon become a sandwich just like this. Immediately recoiling in disgust, he knew that if he didn't eat it then Frypan could be annoyed and he didn't want that.

It took him a long time to eat the whole thing, struggling to keep the meat down as he avoided looking at all the happy animals gathering at the north-west corner of the glade. He was glad to have finally finished it, and he probably should have felt full but he only felt sick and he desperately wanted to throw it all up.

He found out where the toilets were, and hurriedly made his way there, holding his stomach to prevent him from vomiting. The toilets were behind the homestead, and seemed to be empty from the unlocked door and lack of queue outside it.

Drew pushed open the door, not prepared for the sight that would hit him only seconds later. He hadn't known that the toilets and showers were connected and when he lifted his eyes up he saw a sight that he didn't want to see, letting out a loud scream and stumbling back out of the room, trying to take his eyes off the boy that was standing butt-naked in front of him.


	4. CALM DOWN, DREW

CHARLIE HEARD THE DOOR SWING OPEN, knowing only then that the door had failed to lock, turning his head immediately to see who was there. He saw the wide eyes of the new greenie, panic signs all over his face before he opened his mouth to let out a giant scream as boys began to enclose the toilet space; laughing at Charlie's attempt to cover all of his parts. 

Newt and Alby were speaking at the maze door's, Newt pleading with him in an attempt to let him run again, but Alby told him that the glade was where he needed him, but what he really meant was that it was the only time Sejong and Minho got together. However, as soon as the blonde boy heard the yell from Drew, immediately spotting him, he began to run towards him; a strange feeling of protectiveness taking him by surprise.

Charlie had managed to grab a towel to cover below his waist, yet Drew still appeared shell-shocked, unable to tear his eyes away and his cheeks warming up from all the attention they were getting. It was a complete contrast to Charlie, who appeared to be lapping it all up as if he was putting a show on for everyone.

Newt slowed down as he reached the terrified boy, placing a hand on his shoulder, trying to get Drew to focus on him instead, "what happened, Drew? Did Charlie try to hurt you?"

Drew's eyebrows furrowed, and he shook his head, "I-" he stumbled, "I didn't mean to, I just saw him, saw like - all of him." His voice was shaky, like a small child being reprimanded by an authority figure, made to beg for forgiveness in some sort of an embarrassing way.

Newt sighed, a visible sign of his relief, but remained confused as to what was troubling him, "what's wrong?"

Drew felt unable to answer this, it wasn't as if he didn't have one but something about the situation was freaking him out, and he remained unable to slow his heart down or lift his stare. Luckily, the boys were still joking with Charlie instead of bothering him or making fun of him for his reaction. 

Alby walked over to the door of the toilets, raising an eyebrow at Charlie; whose smile fell as soon as he saw the leader staring at him. "What are you doing, you shuck-faced moron? Incapable of locking a door?"

"The lock doesn't work. Blame Gally, it's all his fault." Charlie pointed a long, lanky finger in his direction to a surprised Gally who was laughing among his builder friends.

"My locks are perfect, you slinthead."

"The lock worked perfectly this morning, did you break it?" Alby still had his voice raised, some of the gladers still sniggering loudly.

With a sudden burst of confidence, Charlie struck out a reply, "I don't think we need to know of your bowel movements, Alby."

The leader wasn't so much annoyed that all the boys were now laughing at him, more so at the cheekiness of the naked glader and instantly cocked an eyebrow up, resisting the urge to throw him in the slammer, however, realizing it seemed a bit over the top, he rolled his eyes and walked away.

Newt knew that the rest of the glade was busy with Charlie's antics, he grabbed Drew's arm and started to drag him away from them, towards the kitchen. His hands felt soft on Drew's skin, but he still hated it, unable to shake the icky feeling that was coming from deep within his senses.

When they reached the kitchen area, the noise from the crowd becoming a bit more muffled, Newt finally got to look at the shivering, anxious wreck of a boy who couldn't even maintain eye contact with the blond boy as he attempted to tug away the tight hand grip of Newt. 

A heavy sigh escaped Newt's lips, running a hand through his disheveled hair, his eyes staring straight into the smaller boy as he chewed on his lip, thinking about a way that could calm him down. Though it may have been rash, given the way the boy last reacted when he touched him, Newt extended an arm out to pull Drew's face towards him so that he could look at him directly as he muttered as softly and soothingly as he could, "calm down." 

He whispered it over and over again, able to gauge the reaction of his words as Drew finally loosened up and Newt managed to sit him down on one of the benches, although he could tell something was still not quite right. He couldn't register why Drew had such a strange reaction, closing up just because he saw somebody naked — and that was the problem; it was a common occurrence in the glade. 

Bucky had been busy trying to get Charlie clothed again, bordering the line between thinking his actions were either really stupid or hilarious. It took longer than it should have before Charlie's modesty restored, but then again it always did with him. So when the chaos eventually ended, Bucky strolled over to the kitchen only to notice that Drew, who still seemed unable to settle down, was nervously rambling to Newt who had a concerned look, eagerly nodding as if he wanted the story that was coming from the boy's lips to come faster.

Enthusiastically, Bucky waved as he walked over, earning a small toothy grin from Drew as he took a seat opposite him. Bucky could have sworn that momentarily Newt's expression changed as if in that exact moment he had a pang of jealousy, but the Brit's default smile returned soon after.

"Is everything okay, Drew?" 

It was almost as if there was a switch in Drew, a sensor that only allowed him to open up when certain people were nearby, "not really, I don't know why though." He seemed frustrated at his inability to pinpoint his emotion, angrily slamming a fist down onto the table, burying his head in his arms only seconds later.

Newt placed a supportive hand on his shoulder, but he shook it off as soon as he felt the skinny fingers brush his skin; the feel of it making him uncomfortable, biting the inside of his cheek to stop him from crying. 

"Hey buddy, it's okay. Slow down, form your words in your brain and process what you're feeling. You don't have to tell me, or Newt, just you need to know yourself," this time Drew's shoulders relaxed slightly, unwinding at the sound of Bucky's voice, "do you wanna hear a joke?"

He finally raised his head, nodding lightly, "yes please."

Bucky almost regretted suggesting a joke, struggling to find one that was funny but eventually he remembered it, "what kind of dog does Dracula have?"

"I don't know, what kind of a dog does Dracula have?" The other two boys echoed, watching in excitement for the punchline of the joke to be revealed just like little children at a pantomime.

"A bloodhound." As soon as the words left Bucky's mouth, loud laughter erupted from Drew, instantly holding a hand over his mouth - as if it was wrong for him to do so, but an encouraging nod from Newt was all it took for a giggling fit to last for at least five minutes. It made Newt content that Drew was finally cheerful again but there was also a part of him that wished it was him to caused Drew to react this wildly.

 

☼☼☼

 

While Drew was setting up his hammock, Newt had been helping him to do so until he was called away by Alby, he noticed that the hammock beside him was still empty yet the others were filled with all the unimportant boys that weren't allowed to sleep in the homestead. Drew wished he could spend another night in the med-room, feeling exposed and unhappy outside even though the temperature seemed comfortable and there were no bugs flying around.

When he finished, he jumped up into the soft material, taking a small moment to look around his new home. His eyes settled on the figure that was jogging over to him from the homestead, realizing that the dark brunette hair belonged to the boy that had exposed himself to Drew earlier. 

Panicked, Drew looked the other way, hoping that he wouldn't come over and talk to him but almost immediately on thinking that, he knew that the hammock beside him belonged to Charlie and promptly wished that the ground would swallow him up.

"Hello, Drew!" Charlie called out, oblivious to how distressed he had made the boy for the rest of the day, giving a warm smile towards him.

Not wanting to appear rude, Drew mumbled something back to him although it was so quiet and unintelligible that Charlie was unable to understand what he said, even Drew seemed confused as to what he actually replied.

"Listen greenbean, I'm sorry for what happened earlier. You seemed upset after, but that wasn't me right?" 

"It kinda was," Drew shrugged, wanting to be honest although his next words were a lie, "it's okay though, we should just get over it."

Charlie beamed at his response, wrapping his arms around Drew's neck, who despite being sat on the hammock was still not that tall, feeling immediately how tensely he was sitting. Shaking it off, Charlie turned around and climbed into his own hammock, mumbling a small, "goodnight."

Drew nodded in response, and stared up into the night's sky, frustrated with himself for his response that day, pondering on what memories he had forgotten that could possibly explain it.


	5. PRINCES AND PRINCESSES

SURPRISINGLY DREW SLEPT WELL, although he guessed it wasn't from the thin material that was holding him up and stopping him crashing to the ground. It felt extremely unstable, and he felt almost curious enough to test its weight, but the longer he lingered on the idea, the less appealing it became. 

Newt practically ran across the glade when Alby told him to show Drew the opening of the doors, joy fuelling the boy and a wide grin made its way onto his face however from the excitement, he tripped over his feet and crashed to the floor in front of Drew's hammock. It caused Drew to peer over the edge, beginning to giggle profusely and the tangle of long limbs and messy hair that was Newt.

"W-what happened?" He managed to string a sentence together, his voice hushed when Newt placed a soft finger over his own lip, making Drew realized that everybody else was still asleep.

"Shut up greenie, I meant to do that."

"Obviously." Drew lengthened the 'y' in a perky tone that matched perfectly to his cheeky grin. Unlike Newt's morning voice, Drew's remained high-pitched with an accent that Newt couldn't pinpoint although it made his own accent feel less odd in a glade that was filled with lots of the same voices.

"Come quickly, I have something to show you." Newt pushed himself off the ground after he heard the loud laughter from the group of runners also gathering by the door, causing his cheeks to flush a rouge color and avert his eyes from them.

"Help me out then." Drew threw his legs over the side, dangling high above the ground showing just how short he was compared to most gladers. Newt's eyes were glued shut momentarily as their hands connected, an ache in his heart almost unbearable forming but as soon as quickly as the contact came, the contact left. Immediately, Newt ran over to the doors fearful that he was about to miss the opening, Drew was close behind him.

With a loud crunch, a crack of sunlight seeped its way through the doors, the single ray lighting up Drew's skin but the direct shine into his eyes caused him to bring his hands up to shield his face. Low mechanical growling, like the one from inside the boxes, echoed around the whole expanse of land, the two giant pieces of wall opening to show a long corridor which was covered with vines, and had a thick goo trail which stopped at the door. Newt watched as Drew's expression changed from panic to fear to amazement, his trademark wide eyes and open jaw following the opening.

"Think that's cool? It happened at the opposite end too," Newt leaned in close to Drew, whispering teasingly and watching with amusement as his head snapped to look at what happened to the south doors.

"See ya at dinner time!" Sejong called out to Newt as him and Minho jogged into the long corridor, disappearing as soon as they turned the corner.

"What is it?" Drew cringed at himself, of all the questions floating around in his mind – he decided to go with the stupidest-sounding one.

"It's our way-out greenie," Newt smiled softly, "it means we don't have to be stuck here forever."

 

☼☼☼

 

To say Drew was upset when he found out it was his turn to be a slicer that morning was a huge understatement. Newt, hugely apprehensive to tell him the news, saw how his skin went a little pale and his bottom lip trembled and let out a heavy sigh as Drew stumbled over to the blood house.

As soon as he entered, the foul, horrid smell hit him immediately and he struggled to keep his urge to vomit down. "Hey there, greenie. Excited to be a slicer?" Winston greeted him with the apron he was supposed to wear, but all Drew could muster in reply was a soft 'yeah'.

Bodies of animals were hung up around him, blood dripping out where their heads should be as Winston easily pushed them aside in order to get to the table where six or seven boys were gathered discussing their plan of action. Heartbeat raised and senses heightened, eyes roaming over the tools laid out on the table as he struggled to pay attention to what they were saying.

"So this job isn't for everyone," Winston had a loud, nasally voice but there was something more calming about his aura than the other boys, "but we do expect you to give it a fair go. Got it? Good that."

Next, Winston started explaining the jobs of the different instruments in front of them but it just registered in Drew's mind as 'sharp', 'not that sharp', 'so sharp you could chop off your own head in one slice' and so on. As time grew, he became even more reluctant to pick up the knives and begin beheading and murdering the cute animals that once played in the pen he so longed to visit.

"I think you're ready." Winston stepped away from the table, nodding at the boys gathered by the door, and immediately they all shuffled out. Only seconds later they came back in, all grasping to keep a medium-sized pig still as they laid her out on the clean table adjacent from Drew's. "Grab the cleaver, and chop her head off. It's the quickest way to end her suffering."

Drew gulped, the gloves making even his hands feel foreign to him as he picked up the cleaver, spots already clouding his vision, his feet shuffling the wriggling pink animal. He tried to calm himself down with deep breaths, knowing that if he did this correctly then the pig shouldn't feel a thing but something felt inconceivably wrong as if something beyond comprehension was preventing him from going through with the ruthless act of killing an animal.

So with the meat cleaver held above his head, ready to bring it down in a quick, swift movement; Drew fell to the ground – his knees buckling as the weapon in his arms fell behind him and he banged his head harshly on the table causing Winston to groan loudly and call; "Shuck! Can someone grab the med-jacks!"

 

☼☼☼

 

"You slinthead!" Newt was yelling so loudly that Charlie could swear it was making the homestead shake, wishing that he would stop his tirade of abuse towards Winston and the other slicers. "How could you put Drew in danger like that? Useless, all of you. Shucking morons." 

As he slammed the door to the medjack room, Charlie instantly turned around and pretended that he had been adjusting the wet flannel on Drew's forehead, "you know I'm not stupid right? The whole glade probably heard what I was saying." Newt shook his head, as he sat down on the wooden chair opposite the bed, for the second time in less than a week.

"They were reckless," Charlie shrugged, thinking it was best to keep on the good side of the British boy, not wanting a humiliating attack to be directed at him. When he was done noting down the pulse of the unconscious boy he opened the door to walk out, "I'll be downstairs, let me know when he wakes up."

Newt chuckled to himself as he looked over Drew, noting how clumsy the boy was to end up back in this room so soon. It was so unusual that he now spent his days finding ways to talk to him even neglecting his own duties as second in command, yet before Drew came up in the box; he yearned to be a runner again.

It was a weird feeling for Drew, his mind was blank and his eyes wouldn't open but he could sense everything around him. He itched to sit up and drink something for his dry and cracked throat, but it was like something was holding him back as if he was a computer in a reboot stage. While Drew was stuck in this phase, Newt watched over him silently; time went by slowly, not because he was bored, but there was an element of worry running through his mind.

After what felt like forever for him, Drew's eyes snapped open and he sat up so quickly that he became dizzy, and he looked around desperately for a glass of water. As if he knew what he wanted, Newt handed him a small cup and he drank it down with ease; his breathing still erratic with his heart beating racing.

"How many times are we gonna end up in here, eh?" Newt raised his eyebrows in amusement but Drew hid his face in embarrassment and laid himself down again, his eyes staring at the ceiling. Newt shook his head and closed the door quietly, as he went to go grab Charlie before heading off to find Alby.

"Hello clumsy!" Charlie's loud voice boomed through the small med-jack room, "sorry." He muttered as soon as he saw Drew wince in reaction. 

"What did I do this time?" A sigh exited his mouth as he turned on his side to face Charlie.

"You fainted, almost died too- instead of beheading the pig, could have beheaded yourself." Drew knew that Charlie wasn't trying to be insensitive, but the words seemed harsh and made him feel silly.

They stood in silence for a while, during that time Charlie was noting down all kind of strange medical things and Drew noted that even when he was embarrassed, he felt calmer when Newt was in the room with him.

"Where's Newt gone?" 

"To grab Alby."

Fear struck deep within Drew, a sudden realization that Alby would be angry that he wasn't pulling his weight in trying the new jobs and therefore going against the rules. His heartbeat was wildly quick and sweat beads formed on his temples, slowly dripping down his face as his eyes became fixed on the door. When Newt burst through the door, out of breath, Drew cowered but the blonde boy was alone and ready to comfort the boy again; with a simple nod, Charlie left the room.

"You feeling better now?" Newt smiled at him, as he pulled the chair closer to the bed.

"I guess," he still wasn't giving Newt any eye contact, "is Alby angry?"

"Didn't get to speak to him," he shrugged before seeing the worried expression forming on Drew's face, "but I don't think so."

It wasn't enough to fill Drew with confidence but a comforting rub of the shoulder from Newt slowed his heartbeat down as they waited together for the arrival of the leader. They both heard his heavy footsteps as he entered the building and as he powered through the door, a scowl on his face, Newt's hand was yanked from Drew's shoulder as if he had just been electrocuted and he shot to the other side of the room; standing tall and obedient.

"Sorry, was sorting something out with Sejong," Alby rubbed his head and sighed, "but someone has filled me in on what happened."

Drew was slowly nodded his head along to this, a speech already forming in his head to try and prove to Alby that he was worthy to stay in the glade. 

It wasn't needed though, "Not many shuck's have what it takes to be a slicer, used to say it was more difficult than being a runner," Alby laughed to himself, "but you see, I would prefer it if you lasted a little bit longer on your next job trial. A bit more than just the morning."

"I promise I will-" Drew began to plead.

"Shut up greenie," Alby waved a hand at him, "I know you will." He left the homestead, a funny feeling remained in the pit of his stomach. Newbie's had done similar things before, but Alby had never been half as soft as he was on Drew to them, something that confused his second-in-command too. The certainty in his voice when he said that he knew felt odd, and he wasn't sure how he did know; he just did.

Newt raised his eyebrows as soon as the door was shut again, "see, I told you he wouldn't be mad."

"Mhm."

"Why you upset then, bud?" Newt ran a hand through his straggly hair, not understanding why the boy was still so glum.

"He talked to me like a baby, like I'm stupid."

"Well that might be because you're as cute as a baby," the words slipped out of Newt's mouth and large eyes full of embarrassment snapped up to meet his, both their cheeks flushing which was especially obvious against Newt's pale skin. "I'm just- I'm gonna get Charlie and Jeff, I think that's a good idea."

 

☼☼☼

 

Jeff thought it was best for someone to accompany Drew through the glade just in case he was to faint again; Charlie jumped at the chance, a day off work and he got to gossip about his day to Drew who most definitely wouldn't tell anybody – it was a dream. 

Of course, the first place that Drew headed to when he was allowed to leave the homestead was the animal pen, Charlie even having to tell him to slow his small jog down into a walk just in case Jeff was watching them from his window. Drew immediately spotted the piglet he had played with the day before and he sat down near it, allowing it to climb into his lap so he could stroke its soft skin. 

Charlie was rambling about the gossip he had collected on Sejong's and Minho's relationship, but stopped to pause when he saw all the different animals in the pen come over to Drew demanding to be pet by him; it mirrored scenes from Snow White.

"Drew?" Charlie called a smile wide on his face.

"Yeah?"

"You do realize you're embodying Snow White right now?"

"Oh really," he turned around, the same grin evident on his face, "who's my prince then?"


	6. A NIGHT IN THE WOODS

DREW DIDN'T SLEEP VERY WELL THAT NIGHT, the snores getting increasingly louder as the night went on and preventing the poor boy from shutting off. So when the sun finally rose, he jumped out of his hammock and stood outside the homestead till a rosy-cheeked blonde boy walked out of its door; yawning and stretching as he did so. 

Newt noticed Drew immediately, "good morning."

"Morning. Are you getting breakfast? I'm starving." Drew wasn't very subtle, but he seemed oblivious to it as he yanked the British boy's arm, pulling him towards the seating area next to the kitchen.

"Sure," he chuckled, enjoying the enthusiasm that was bubbling off of the boy. "You excited to be working with Gally today?"

His face fell, "he shouts a lot."

Newt reached out to rub his cheek with his thumb comfortingly, "just do what he says and it will all be fine."

A red-faced Drew had a wide grin on his face when Newt got up to go get them some breakfast, with strict instructions to make sure he got some carrot sticks as well until two other skipping boys reached their table; Bucky and Charlie. Bucky sat down next to Drew, with Charlie sitting opposite and the trio started talking about their night's sleep, or at least in Drew's case – his restless night. 

Newt looked over from the tent where Frypan was serving up food and felt a little pang in his heart when he saw Bucky shifting himself closer to Drew and whispering something into his ear. Trying to ignoring it, he walked back to the table with his and Drew's dishes and said hello to the other boys before instructing them to get their own food.

"What'd he say to you?" Newt asked, his curiosity got the better of him as he rested his head on the palm of his hand.

Drew let out a shy giggle, "nothing for you to worry about."

 

☼☼☼

 

Drew was already exhausted but after following Gally's orders for three hours straight he felt as if he was close to collapsing so when they were finally let out for lunch, he ran straight over to the animal pen to greet his favorite little piglet – named accordingly as "piggy."

"Hope Gally ain't bossing you around too much," Drew looked up to see Charlie's wide grin, "could never be a builder while he's the keeper of 'em."

"Well, it's certainly better than the slicers." Shivers ran through his body just thinking about it as he cuddled the little animal in his arms closer.

"Mm," Charlie nodded in agreement, "you gonna eat with just me and Bucky at dinner tonight? Or will Newt be joining us, again?" 

"Well, I hope he's joining us again because he makes us laugh a lot. This morning, I got stomach aches from laughing so hard," Drew shrugged, "but he is friends with other people here so maybe not."

Charlie shook his head with a smile wondering how a boy managed to retain his innocence and obliviousness in this harsh, unforgiving environment. His personality was refreshing, and Charlie often found himself asking an unknown higher power for Drew to be protected at all costs, yet a fear was buried deep within him that something awful was likely to happen.

"Animal boy!" A deep voice yelled out, "get back here!"

"Bye piggy!" Drew kissed the tiny animal on the cheek, before rushing to his feet and running past Charlie with a small nod as he ran back to where they were building some more fencing for animals.

 

☼☼☼

 

After another couple hours lifting lots of planks of wood and moving them to exact instructions from an extremely bossy Gally, Drew was done with his trial of being a building and found himself hoping that there was a better job out there. He spotted Bucky and Charlie already sitting at a table so he started to walk away when the Keeper of the Builders called him back.

"You did well today, greenie. Despite you looking kinda weak, you followed all my instructions. I'm impressed." Gally smiled at him and Drew stared back in shock – for in the week that Drew had been here, he had never once seen him smile. 

Shy and unsure how to respond, Drew simply nodded and walked towards his friends who were waving him over. Naturally, he preferred to sit next to Bucky because if he sat next to Charlie instead he often found he went deaf in the ear that was facing him. But, unusually, they grabbed a slightly bigger table, and they had both sat on the same side meaning that Drew had a side to himself.

"Hey buddy, how was your day?" Bucky asked, as he ripped a piece of bread off and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Exhausting," and he leaned in closer to him, "Gally's quite bossy."

The two boys let out a loud chuckle as they nodded in agreement, Charlie unable to resist the urge to roll his eyes. 

"That's Gally!" Charlie shrugged, spotting that Newt was sneaking up behind Drew and placed his finger on his lips; Charlie got what he was trying to say and continued to distract Drew by talking about his day in the med-jack room. 

Newt remained completely silent, even his feet tip-toeing on the grass was inaudible, as he got ready to pounce on the unsuspecting young boy. So with a jump in his step, his large hands grabbed Drew's shoulders causing a loud shriek to be released from his lips, turning round to be greeted with a large grin from the blonde boy, who was already on the edge of laughing. The fear in Drew's eyes disappeared immediately, as he wrapped his arms around Newt's waist, his head laying perfectly on the British boy's stomach as the two boys opposite shared a look between them.

"Hi there," Newt ruffled his hair, unhooking himself from his arms and taking a seat next to him, "Charlie, do ya mind grabbing our food?"

"Absolutely not," Bucky answered for him, scared for what the reply could have been, pulling Charlie up by the wrist and walking off towards the kitchen.

"Think you'll end up being a builder?" Newt turned to face Drew, whose face appeared to be getting closer to his with every breath he took.

"I still have more jobs to try, but it's certainly better than yesterday's job," Drew hummed, as he fiddled with a loose cotton on Newt's shirt, "what's your job?"

"Second-in-command," he mumbled the next part, "although I would much prefer just looking after you."

"Have you ever had a normal job?" Drew sat back up, spotting that the two boys were returning with four plates full of food.

"I was a runner, but that's a story for another day." Newt gave him a small smile, before taking the plate out of Charlie's hands and tucking into the meat and potatoes combo.

Picking at the food, unable to tear his eyes away from the animal pen, completely pushing the meat to one side as he cut the potato into small pieces but ate the carrots with extreme joy. At one point, he placed the carrot sticks over his teeth pretending to be a vampire, which made Newt laugh loudly and high-five him as Charlie simply shook his head, secretly adoring the childish humor. 

All of a sudden, like huge elephants, two Asian boys stomped over to the table, wide smiles on their faces as one removed their arm from his waist. "Hey, Newt!" They both cheered as they sat down on the table opposite Drew.

"My name's Minho, sorry for not meeting you earlier greenie. This is Sejong." Minho spoke quickly and loudly, making Drew wince in confusion at first and took a few seconds to actually understand what he was saying.

"Like Say-jong?" His eyebrows were furrowed, but a nod of assurance from Newt gave him a lift in his spirits, "well it's fine. You're runners, Newt's explained that it's a difficult job, but I'm Drew."

"That's why he can't do it anymore!" Minho laughed loudly at his joke, only stopping when he realized no one else had joined him in guffawing. "You going to eat the rest of your food there? Or can I have it?" 

Drew looked down at his plate, and shrugged, pushing it towards Minho's direction, "sure."

Newt watched Drew as Sejong started telling Charlie and Bucky some jokes, his loud voice booming in both of their ears, filling Drew with an uncomfortable feeling as he tried to discreetly cover his ears with his hands. Trying to comfort him, Newt rubbed a hand up and down his back but it didn't seem to work so his mind quickly began filling up with ideas to excuse them from the table, and journey to somewhere quieter.

"Alright shanks, I think Drew and I are gonna go and relax in the forest." He grabbed Drew by the hand and yanked him towards the path which led to a small clearing where sometimes they would hold a campfire.

Drew was internally grateful, and when they made it to their destination, he turned to Newt and gave him a big hug, his head barely reaching the boy's chest but he could hear his heartbeat still, the rhythm calming him as they stood like this for a few moments.

"You'll get used to it soon, don't worry." Newt's words were supposed to soothe Drew, yet they panicked him instantly; causing him to grab his head which was pounding with pain and drop to the floor, tears already pricking at his eyes. The words seemed to trigger something deep within him, and once the shock was registered in Newt, he instantly began trying to comfort Drew. The tears were rolling down Drew's cheeks and, despite attempts, he was struggling to open his eyes as if they were sealed shut, preventing him from escaping the horror he was creating in his own mind. 

Newt sat there for a while, he knew it must have been because the loud chatter of the boys quietened down as they were preparing for bed, but he didn't mind, feeling eternally comfortable as Drew laid in his lap, their breathing together in harmony as Drew's pain passed slowly.

"I'm so sorry," Drew sighed as he turned round to face Newt, "I mess everything up."

"No, no, ba- buddy, don't think like that." 

They talked between themselves for a while, mainly Newt trying to make Drew feel better, but Newt soon began to feel tired, and a wide yawn soon confirmed that. 

"I think we might need to go to bed, want me to take you back to your hammock?" Newt stretched his back when he stood up, offering a hand to Drew.

"No thank you, I think I might stay here tonight instead." Drew smiled, but he seemed withdrawn as he looked up to the sky searching for a sign of the stars to no avail.

Not wanting to push him any further, Newt simply nodded, "I'll see you tomorrow, Drew."

 

☼☼☼

 

Despite being quite far away from the residential area in the glade, Drew could hear the snores from all the boys as he sat wide awake drawing little patterns in the dirt by his feet, and humming tunes to his own songs. He secretly wished that Newt had stayed with him through the night as he was becoming lonely and bored, but anxious and unable to return to his hammock. The ground was hard and he knew he would be totally unable to sleep unless he was to faint out of pure exhaustion and longed for comfort from one of his friends.

As he was drawing a house, he heard a large crack causing him to lift his head and look around cautiously. It was pitch black out there and his eyes weren't able to see anything more than a few meters away, so as fear was filling his heart, he prayed that a guardian angel was looking over him to protect him.

"It's only me," the voice was soft as a tall, blonde boy stepped out of the shadows, Drew instantly recognizing him, "I thought you might want some company." Newt sat down next to Drew, resting his back against the tree, and inviting the darker skinned boy to rest his head on his lap.

Drew was unsure what to say, just an unremovable smile forming on his face, laying his head down and his eyelids drooping instantly as he struggled to whisper a quiet, "thank you."

Newt was uncertain what compelled him to join him, just a feeling deep down in his pit, unlike any other he had ever felt with another glader, but also a feeling as if he was simply a puppet, his actions controlled by someone else. No matter what was the root cause, he had never been happier, almost as if he was floating high in the air as he began to fall asleep against the tree.

Drew laid a hand on Newt's leg, and another pang was felt in his heart, the words blurting from his mouth before he could stop them, "anything for you."


End file.
